Hi there ladies, just wanted to say that i am dreading my first yearly mammogram since i was dx with bc in February this year.my mammo is on the 11th of Jan, i am waiting to see the breast surgeon about a double mx with recon as i have found out that i carry the BRCA2 gene alteration, but i find myself thinking what if i get bc again before i have the chance to have a double mx, silly i know but i cant help myself.I am one of 5 woen in my family who all had bc before the age of 45, unfortunatley i am the only survivor so cannot talk to them about things.I have found this site a great source of help,had my surgery rads and chemo,now on Arimedex for 5 years.Will be here again soon to find out as much info as i can on mx and recon surgery, dont know what i would have done without the site,Thankl you again to the ladies here for the support they gave me.Take care Sandrae x
Sandra i know what you mean it brings all the worry and fear all back again I will be due mine in Feb I hope everything goes well for you I havent had the gene testing as they thought i was low risk but we have had three ( my aunts ) all same side of family with bc but aparently it has to be mother, sister aunt is not close enough so they said .x
Hi there - I understand how you are feeling.
I am still going through treatment and will not have a mammogram until May/June but I am not looking forward to it.
I am not sure I will trust the results as my cancer was not spotted on a routine mammogram in Nov last year and by the time I felt the lump it was already 2cm in size.
janette xxx
Hi Nanny4,
Can’t help re any advice, as i’m in the same boat re first mammo mid Feb but wanted to offer you support and kind thoughts. I’m dreading it too - i hope all turns out well for you.
Lynn
x.
Hi, I am in the same boat, my follow up is on the 5th Jan, never thought I would be quite so nervous, think this may be part of the yearly anniversary anxiousness which will happen this time of year for hopefully many years to come. Fingers crossed for all of us. X
Hi Sandrae I am also in same boat.1st mammo due late Jan.My BC was found on routine mammo Nov 2009 so I did not feel it.Waiting for results is the absolute pits. Plus my WLE boob is still very tender so the prospect of having it squashed does not appeal either.Just trying to forget about it until nearer the time. Jackie
mine still tender aswell Jackie but didnt seem to come on untill after rads funnily enough im not looking forward to it being squashed between those plates either .x
Julie that is interesting as I am sure my tenderness came on far more after rads but the radiotherapists said no it was from surgery. The only way I can keep it at bay is exercise eg. BCC DVD but this is 40-60 mins daily BUT it works eh but still not looking forwards to 1st mammo Jackie
yes Jackie ive got that dvd too i must try and get it out of the box in the new year ha ha and loose some weight x
Sandrae as you have BRCA2 you may be entitled to a breast MRI as well… this is a new guideline that all brca 1 and 2 mutation carriers should get extra screening in the form of an annual MRI between age 30-50, however some health boards do not have funding for it… but as you have already had breast cancer you can maybe push for it more.
i remember feeling anxious when i had my first annual mammo but then in subsequent years i wasnt so worried, but 3 years after the first BC i did get a 2nd cancer in the other breast… i didnt need chemo after the 1st cancer as it was only a grade 1.
i was diagnosed with the BRCA2 gene in january 2010 and have had a breast MRI in june and mammo in nov and next mri is booked for may unless i have preventative breast surgery before than… i had a hysterectomy in sept.
my 2nd cancer was found at my 3rd annual follow up mammo… but they got in touch within a few days to let me know i needed a repeat mammo and Ultrasound… it was a scary time… but this is the whole point of the mammo… to detect any new cancers at an early stage and treat it.
im not trying to terrify you but having a gene mutation does make you more at risk to have another cancer however the chemo would hopefully zapp anything new from cropping up so soon and when you have your surgery that risk will be minimal.
please feel free to pm me if you want to chat.
lulu xxx
Thank you to all you lovely ladies for taking time to post here, i wish all of you well and good luck to all who are due there mammos this month.I thought about how sore my breast will be after mammo, but i suppose its a small price to pay for some piece of mind.Will everyone let me know how you get on with your mammos? Also thank you Lulu for your advice and support, i am waiting for ana appointment with the breast specialist, my daughter who is 25 gets her gene results at the end of Jan, bless her, ihave spent time writing to family members who i do not get on with, to let them know that they could be at risk, not a great job having to put a downer on other peoples lives, but it had to be done, sooner rather than later i feel.The gene thing is so complex, but i think i have finally come to understand it a bit better.Thank you also for the offer to pm you, i am really grateful for that.I hope this message finds you all reasonably well, please take care, and thank you again.Sandrae x
This February I will have my last yearly mammo. I’ve been clear for 4yrs 9months. Before each test in the morning, at work I’m as useful as a chocolate fireguard. And I always take my make up to touch up when I’ve cried when it’s over.
It’s not just the pain,it’s the painfull memories.
Hi all
I went for my 1st yearly mammogram back in August, I rec’d a letter about 10-14 days later saying the radiologists recommended that I have further pictures taken as there was an area in the left breast which they wanted to look at more closely. They went on to say that it was likely that this was related to the previous operation area and just reflects changes from my surgery. The radiologists had graded it as “probably benign”.
They then arranged for me to have some further specialised mammograms
of the area. I was so worried and ended up having to wait a month for my appointment all the while thinking it was going to be the worst news imaginable. My husband and I went for the tests to be told that it was only scar tissue. Hence we both ended up crying as the radiographer gave us this fantastic news!
I just wanted to reassure you all that even tho they may call you back it isnt necessarily going to be bad news. My understanding is that on your first yearly mammo they have nothing to compare the scans to… therefore they do tend to be extra cautious.
May I take this opportunity to wish you all the very best of luck & health for 2011.
Big hugs to all.
Stella XXX